She may be a reality TV star with a high-profile husband, but Tori Spelling is no Kardashian. Rather than build up an empire worth billions of dollars, Tori has fallen on hard times over the years.
Fans were left baffled after Tori's troubles became publicized, especially because her father, renowned producer Aaron Spelling, was worth so much when he passed away.
Fans thought that Aaron would have left his daughter more money to live off of or invest, preventing her from having to make her own way while raising her family (which includes five kids!). But as it turns out, Aaron's money didn't go to his kids, and neither Tori nor her brother have much of their dad's fortune left in their pockets.
Updated July 2023: Tori Spelling has fallen on hard times in the past few years. While there were expectations that a '90201' reboot would bring in income, that failed to come to fruition. That, in conjunction with the IRS coming after Spelling for unpaid taxes amounting to $1.3 million and an unpaid American Express bill that had been run up to nearly $90,000 without payment, the money that Spelling had on hand was depleted in short order.
What Is Tori Spelling's Net Worth?
Taking all of this new information into consideration, Spelling's net worth has drastically decreased. As such, what once was a meager $1.5 million in 2022, has since become $250,000.
Spelling is working on trying to increase that wealth, however. She is doing this by gaining more of a following on social media to become a successful influencer, according to 'The Sun', and does have her podcast with Jennie Garth which brings in an income. Between that and appearances at conventions, Spelling is hustling to ensure that her five kids are taken care of given that McDermott has no real income to speak of that he is contributing to the family.
Combined with her partner, Dean McDermott, Tori isn't doing too poorly finance-wise these days. Still, she used to have a far higher net worth, and there have been a few ups and downs along her career path.
Spelling also spent tens of thousands on house rentals before finally settling on a house in 2020. However, the family recently discovered the house was mold-ridden and Spelling is now put in a position of trying to find a place for herself and her children to live, amid a divorce from Dean McDermott, who moved out of the family home before the mold issues.
But how did she end up with so little funds, and where did her dad's money wind up after he passed away?
Aaron Spelling Was Worth $600 Million When He Died
Aaron was worth a staggering amount of cash when he died back in 2006. Considering inflation, the $600 million Aaron was worth would equal almost $800M now -- if it had all been preserved, that is.
Fans already know that Tori offloaded most of her inheritance in short order. But who stood to gain the rest of the late Spelling's estate? Turns out that his wife -- Tori's mom, Candy -- was his primary beneficiary.
Tori Spelling Didn't Get Much Of Her Dad's Estate
It's already been confirmed that while Tori came into some money when her famous dad Aaron passed away, she didn't keep it for long.
Although Tori and her brother received about $800,000 each, that only makes up a small percentage of Aaron's total net worth at the time he passed away.
So where did the rest of it go?
Who Is Aaron Spelling's Wife, Candy?
Candy Spelling, née Marer, married Aaron back in 1968. While both Aaron and Candy had been married before, they welcomed Tori and Randy together and remained married for more than three decades.
Interestingly, there's not much information out there about Candy Spelling's past. In fact, all of her Wikipedia entries cover her career and life following her husband's passing.
Candy wrote an autobiography and a memoir, produced and starred in two reality shows on HGTV, began producing Broadway theater (with Daniel Radcliffe in one lead role), and more.
And though she put the Spelling mansion up for sale a few years after Aaron passed away, Candy doesn't really seem to have moved money around. Yet she received nearly all of her late husband's state upon his death, leading fans to wonder where it is now.
What Happened To Aaron Spelling's Money?
Who got Spelling's $600 million fortune? Candy received most of the cash, with many sources calling her share the "bulk" of the estate. Since Tori and Randy's share was less than 3 percent of the total amount, does that mean Candy pocketed the other 97 percent -- roughly $580 million?
Apparently not so. Sources suggest that Aaron Spelling left money to various other people, including those outside the family. Though his wife received most of Aaron's cash, other people got a cut of the money, too.
Who Else Did Aaron Spelling Leave Money To?
Sources suggest that non-family members were written into Aaron's will, including staff from the Spelling Mansion. An interior decorator reportedly received $50,000 while an esthetician took home $25,000.
Sources also claim that Aaron included a no-contest clause in his will, which meant that had Tori, Randy, or anyone else contested the will, they stood to lose their relatively meager inheritance.
At the same time, many people disagreed with Aaron's decision to leave the bulk of the estate to Candy; she and Tori were feuding for a long time, which meant that Tori was mostly cut off after her $800,000 ran out.
And yet, Candy may have pushed Tori into learning how to manage her finances on purpose. Mrs. Spelling has been quoted as saying that her daughter's spending habits were out of control, so maybe she's exercising her ability to teach her grown-up daughter a lesson she should have learned a long time ago.